Anniversary
by WeWillEatSandwiches
Summary: 15 years after the crash Sofia has some questions for her parents.


Callie, Arizona and Sofia walked back into their apartment. Sofia turned to see her mothers holding hands still. They had done so both on the way to and from the hospital and all through the service. They had taken it turns to sob into each other's shoulder and then comfort the other. Callie had clung to her wife more with every passing second as if scared she would lose Arizona all over again if she let go.

It was a memorial service fifteen years after the plane crash. Sofia had gone along because she felt like she should. She had felt uncomfortable the whole time. Not because of the death, she was used to that. Her mothers had told her about her father and she had learned to love the memory. Lexie she hadn't known and to her, her Mom always only had one leg. She felt uncomfortable because everyone was mourning the memory all over again. Sofia was uncomfortable because she didn't really understand the crash. Every time it was mentioned in passing, the room fell silent, so how could she ask directly? She felt like she had to though.

"Does...um... does anyone want a drink? Arizona asked.

"No thank you honey, what about you Sofia?" Sofia shook her head and sat down on the sofa.

"Are you okay?" was Callie's next question. Both parents made their way to sit with her; Arizona on the sofa and Callie on the coffee table.

"I want to ask, to know about," Sofia paused, already regretting her words.

"About the crash?" Arizona finished.

"Do you mind?" Sofia seemed to be talking directly to her prosthetic leg.

"Sweetheart," The blond grabbed her daughters hand "It affected your life as much as ours."

"But it isn't easy for us to think about that time, or talk about it. And hearing about the days in the woods... there is a reason we skipped that part. But if you want to know, then okay." Callie tried to smile when she finished talking but it wasn't going to soften the blow.

"What do you know?" Arizona asked.

"I know you were on your way to Boise to do surgery on conjoined twins. I know who was on the plane, who survived and what you lost.

"I never used to like flying because it always made me feel closer to death. I remember the sound of metal being ripped apart and the whining of the engine as it slowed to a stop. And screaming. There was a lot of screaming, mainly mine until Cristina told me to shut up."

"Compassion was never her strong point." Callie chipped in. She was now holding Sofia's other hand.

"Derek and Lexie were missing. Lexie was trapped and there was no way to get her out and she died holding your Dad's hand. He just regretted not telling her that he loved her sooner. They found Derek and his hand was crushed. Luckily there was this awesome orthopaedic surgeon who could help." Arizona was smiling proudly at Callie. "She wasn't able to save my leg obviously... and if she couldn't save it, no-one could." She lifted Callie's chin, which had dropped at mention of the amputation, so that she could be sure Callie heard what she was saying.

"We all sat around in the middle of nowhere for four days. Your Dad had massive internal injuries and my leg hurt like hell but we kept each other going with stories."

"Of what?"

"You and your Mom." Arizona smiled as she spoke which confused Sofia.

"Why are you smiling? He died!" her tone was almost accusatory.

"Sofia!" Callie scolded her.

"No it's okay. I was never your Dad's biggest fan to begin with but we bonded over you. We both loved you and we were equal parts of this family. Still are. I remember the good parts, I have to." Arizona began crying again so Callie stroked her right knee.

The way your Mom has to cope with what happened is to remember the joy. The joy of the people we lost." Callie tried to explain. "Those days..." She felt that she should cover her side of the story. "Thos days were horrific, and I wasn't even in the crash. When we found out that the plane had gone down there was no initial word on survivors or injuries. I couldn't breathe. Apart from you my whole life was on that plane. The love of my life and my best friend were missing." She felt pale fingers wipe away her tears and she lifted her gaze to stare into her wife's blue eyes.

Although the interaction was between her mothers, Sofia felt involved, for the first time she really felt their pain but it was okay. All she had ever trusted was her parents love and here it was. Arizona refocused on her daughter.

"When we heard the helicopter we thought we were safe, it was over."

"Dad was still alive then?"

"Yeah, he slipped into a coma when he was back here and never woke up so we had to switch of the machines. I was there when he passed. It was peaceful, not in the woods or in the cold. He was at peace." Callie was barely whispering.

"Meanwhile I was being the worst wife in history." Arizona's voice was mixed with shame and regret.

"Hey" Callie moved to the sofa and wrapped her arms around her wife. "How many times have we been through this? You went through hell and came back broken. It's okay." Callie kissed the top of her head.

"How were you a bad wife, I've never seen you two be... I don't get it." Arizona turned further into her wife's embrace.

"She was terrified. The open fracture in her leg was infected and it looked like amputation was going to be necessary. She was terrified." Callie was talking like Arizona wasn't really there even though she was rubbing circles in her back.

"But she is fine with her prosthetic."

"Now, yeah but you didn't know her before. Actually you do, she was like me and you. Independent, self-confident and didn't want anyone's help."

"She is like that still." Sofia stroke Arizona's arm beginning to feel guilty for bringing the crash up again.

"She had to learn to do that again, be that again. Imagine losing a limb Sofia, it was like her life was lost too for a while. She also had all of these insecurities about how she looked."

"But your beautiful Mom." Arizona turned to her daughter and smiled.

"Thank you darling." she whispered.

"Are you kidding, she is the most perfect and stunning person in the world." Came the voice now behind Arizona.

"Bit over the top Callie." She teased. "We argued. All the time. For months. Until I, to quote your mother "snapped out of it and got my head out of my ass" anyway." Callie's head dropped to Arizona's shoulder with a kiss to apologise again. "It's okay, I needed it."

"But it wasn't your fault, either of you."

"No, but I had promised not to cut off her leg."

"A promise I made her make knowing that it was impossible."

"Wait, you had to cut it off?"

"No I had to make the choice, Alex made the cut."

"It was kind of my fault"

"Shut up Arizona"

"How was it?" Sofia asked her parents.

"It was my fault I was on the plane. It was meant to be Alex but we had a fight and..." Callie pulled Arizona's chin around so that she could look her wife in the eye again.

"You can't change that but it was not your fault that the plane fell out of the sky so don't you dare go down that road again Arizona!" She smiled at Callie's serious tone. "What?" Arizona ignored her wife's question and turned back to her daughter.

"Was there any way that I wouldn't make it back when I had such an awesome wife in my corner and a daughter to watch grow up? When I had so much to run towards? Even if I had to relearn how to run!"


End file.
